Yikes! This is how much forgetting to turn off the immersion could be costing you each year

Yikes! This is how much forgetting to turn off the immersion could be costing you each year

Independent.ie

One of the scariest memories of an Irish childhood has to be the horror moment of recognition after forgetting to turn off the immersion heater, but it seems many of us still have not learned our lesson.

One of the scariest memories of an Irish childhood has to be the horror moment of recognition after forgetting to turn off the immersion heater, but it seems many of us still have not learned our lesson.

A new study by Hive has found that one in four people regularly forget to flick off the immersion after a bath or shower, despite years of scoldings and the bad habit could be costing them.

Research from Bord Gais Energy has revealed that regularly forgetting about the immersion could add up to €1500 to your electricity bill annually.

The study, which examined the wasteful habits of over one thousand homemakers, also found that one in three people regularly leave lights on when they aren't needed, and 50pc of us boil the kettle several times for one cup of tea as we become distracted.

However, more of us are becoming tech-savvy when it comes to our electricity use. The company said 58pc of Irish people believe smart technology would make their homes better, as Bord Gais Energy continues to promote its tech brand Hive.

Commenting on the findings, Nina Bhatia, MD of Centrica Connected Home said: "Households across Ireland are clearly beginning to embrace smart home technology but it’s interesting to see that, while the number one desire for smart technology in the home is to help save energy, old habits such as forgetting to turn the immersion off and repeatedly boiling the kettle continue to be common daily occurrences.

"Our mission is to make the smart home real for everyone, with affordable, easy to use solutions."